Page 30 of Silent Night Temptation

A synchronized sigh escapes both men, their reluctance palpable.

“Oh, come on,” Coco coaxes, her voice light but insistent. “It’s just ten minutes. I’ll even help you out. Tell each other five things you like about each other. It’s not that hard.”

But it is hard. It’s painfully hard. The two of them remain silent, their focuses fixed on one another like two beasts sizing each other up before a fight. I feel the strain ripple through the room, winding tighter with every passing second.

Coco turns to me for support. “Nyree… back me up here.”

I freeze under the weight of their gazes, my mouth dry. Marcus’s eyes search mine, as if waiting for some kind of verdict. I glance from him to Coco. Her expression pleading with me to join her effort.

“I think it’s a good idea,” I say slowly, forcing the words out. “I mean… it’s only ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes is a long time,” Ethan mutters, his voice low. It’s his final attempt at escape. “And I think we’ve had enough fun for one night. Maybe it’s time to call it quits…”

But Marcus cuts him off, his voice a challenge wrapped in a veneer of calm. “Fine. I’ll do it.”

Ethan’s eyes widen, shock flickering across his face. It’s the last thing he expected.

Marcus stands. His movements are deliberate, as if daring Ethan to refuse. “Unless, of course, you’re too scared,” he adds, the taunt barely veiled, his tone daring Ethan to step up.

Ethan’s face hardens, the challenge settling in. Slowly, he rises from his chair. “Ten minutes, fine,” he concedes, his voice tight with reluctant determination.

“Great!” Coco beams, rising from her seat as if this is the most normal thing in the world.

She leads them to a nearby room. The two men trail behind her like prisoners being marched to an uncertain fate. Marcus steps through the door first, his shoulders squared and his posture tense. Ethan’s heavy steps follow. Coco closes the door behind them with a quiet click.

She turns to me, her face glowing with hope. Her optimism is almost childlike in its purity. I manage to return her smile, but the unease twisting in my gut doesn’t let up. This could work. They could talk, find some common ground, even bond. But I know Marcus, and I’ve seen the way he looks at Ethan, barely concealing disdain. I know how this could end, one wrong word, one misstep, and it could all explode.

I sit there, staring at the closed door, feeling like I’m standing on the edge of a cliff.

***

Marcus

We step into the room, the door sealing behind us with a resolute click that reverberates through the air, as though marking the beginning of something inevitable. The atmosphere is thick and oppressive. Tension hums through the space, palpable and alive, as if it has taken form, surrounding us. There is a chair near a modest desk tucked away in the corner, and I find myself moving toward it. My fingers graze the cool metal of the chair’s back, and with a slow motion, I pull it out and lower myself onto it.

Ethan leans against the wall with that maddening posture of his; arms crossed, chin tilted slightly upward. He’s always like this: a walking embodiment of arrogance, the living manifestation of every business misfortune that has plagued me since we first crossed paths.

A wave of memories crashes over me. Deals ruined. Clients lost. A senator’s signature stolen right from under me. All the result of Ethan's insidious tactics that are as dishonorable asthey are effective. He’s the poison that’s seeped into every corner of my career, and no matter how often I tried to stay one step ahead, he always seemed to be lurking, ready to strike.

But then, there’s Coco.

The thought of her pierces through the fog of my resentment. I hear Nyree’s voice, clear as day, her words a constant refrain in my head:Coco can choose who she wants to be with.And for Coco, my daughter, my heart, I’ll do this. I’ll set aside my pride and my hatred, if only for her.

I inhale deeply, bracing myself, and force the words from my throat. “You’re a good businessman.”

Ethan’s eyes narrow, confusion flickering across his features. “What?”

“When you’re not playing dirty,” I continue, the words tasting bitter in my mouth, “you make some… applaudable decisions.”

Astonishment is bare on his features, clearly stunned at my words..

“You’re really doing this? Playing along?” he says, his tone careful. “We could just wait out the ten minutes and leave. No one has to say anything.”

I steel myself, locking my gaze with his. “Your turn.”

Ethan exhales slowly, his eyes scanning the room as if searching for some lifeline. For a long moment, he says nothing. Then, finally: “Well… I guess it goes without saying that you’re a great businessman yourself, when you’re not riled up.”

When you’re not riled up.The words hit me like a punch to the gut. They echo in my mind, reverberating against the memories of every failure and every defeat. He must see it on my face because he continues.

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